hack•a•thon

/ˈhakəθɒn/

noun informal

An event, typically lasting several days, in which a large number of people meet to engage in collaborative computer programming. We look past this traditional definition of a hackathon and take it to new heights. UofTHacks is the University of Toronto's annual hackathon. At UofTHacks, we bring people together to make new friends, learn new things, and bring new ideas to life.

Why Attend?

Join 500 brilliant developers, inspiring designers, and innovative creators for 36 hours of hacking. We’ll give you access to some of the best hardware and APIs on the market, as well as access to mentors with years of experience - everything you need to build something you never thought was possible. We welcome hackers of all experience levels. If this will be your first hackathon, we can’t wait to expose you to a weekend packed with fun, food, and crazy hacks!

Krate

API: Any

Bitalino

API: Any

Category: Best Health Hack

Prizes: Bitalino Kit

UTSU

UTSU Campus Map Challenge

Awarded to the project that would allow clubs and groups to advertise themselves and their events, as well as the type of food they are offering alongside their event, based on campus location. This is meant to centralize the advertising work that already happens in various facebook pages and groups, so that all students have access to the knowledge about where to find free food on any given day, as well as finding opportunities to get involved.

API: Any

Prizes: $250 and Recognition on the UTSU Website

JetBrain

API: Any

Prizes: 1 year of free personal subscription for any single JetBrains tool/IDE for Overall Winners

Judges

Duane Williams

Duane Williams is Senior Manager, Product Platforms with Interac Association and Acxsys Corporation. Duane develops innovative offerings that enable payments through Interac’s platforms and services. Prior to joining the organization, he lead several key money movement initiatives in Northern and Southern Africa. He is a seasoned product management professional with over 15 years of experience in delivering innovative and complex solutions to market. He has extensive knowledge and experience in money movement services in both business and consumer markets and has developed products that are used by millions of customers worldwide. Duane studied Computer Science at The University of South Africa, is PRINCE2 certified and holds qualifications in Product Management.

Keith Horwood

Keith Horwood is a self-taught programmer who first jumped into the world of software engineering as an attempt to recreate one of his favorite childhood hobbies - building games. As an enthusiastic, eager-to-learn teenager that passion turned into building websites, message boards, graphics engines, chat servers and clients, and more. He took a different turn in college, studying Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario, and his enjoyment of learning as much as he could about the world quickly took on a more practical, business edge as well. Keith is the author of several popular open sources software packages, and now the founder and CEO of StdLib where he's helping developers build web services and APIs with the click of a button, no server management required.

David Giard

David Giard is a former accountant and a former biochemist, who has been developing solutions using Microsoft technologies for over 2 decades. Currently, David helps people build solutions in his role as a Microsoft Technical Evangelist. David has been very active in the developer community, speaking at numerous major conferences, code camps, and user groups around the world; helping to lead user groups; and helping to organize conferences and other geek events. He is the host and producer of the mildly popular online TV show Technology and Friends. He is the co-author of the Wrox book Real World .NET, C#, and Silverlight. You can read his latest thoughts at DavidGiard.com. His hobbies include video, photography, sports, and embarrassing his sons.

No worries! Although hackathons are often a team experience, we welcome solo hackers as well! If you’d like to find a team before the event, we will be offering services to do so through Slack and Facebook.

What should I bring?

Your laptop, charger, and anything else you’ll need to hack on, as well as comfortable clothes.

Do I have to know how to code beforehand?

Not at all - UofTHacks is a perfect opportunity to learn something new! Throughout the event we’ll have tons of workshops to help you get set up. We’ll also have mentors floating around to help out whenever you need it!

Can I attend if I live far away?

Yes, you are more than welcome to attend, but unfortunately, we will not be able to provide any busses or reimbursements this year.

What can I hack on?

Anything! As we get closer to the date, we’ll provide you with a list of hardware and API that we have available for you at the hackathon. You’re also welcome to bring in some of your own tools as well.

How many hackers per team?

Each team can have up to 4 hackers!

What else should I know?

As an MLH event member, we expect all of our attendees to behave according to the Code of Conduct found here.